Scaloni: “The players’ health comes first”
Having just arrived in the country, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni gave an update on the fitness of his squad with three weeks to go before their World Cup debut.
Lionel Scaloni arrived in Argentina this morning and spoke about the tension which is normal for players to experience in the weeks leading up to a World Cup. He also gave updates on the fitness of a number of squad members such as Gio Lo Celso and Cuti Romero. Argentina make their debut in the tournament against Saudi Arabia on 22 November.
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Lo Celso injured three weeks before the finals: “These things can happen. We are evaluating his situation and that of other players. Unfortunately, injuries are unavoidable. October was quite a busy month and we are waiting for news on him to see what decision to make”.
Nerves running up to the World Cup fear of injury: “I’ve been in this situation as a player and as part of the coaching staff at the previous World Cup. You have to be calm and make decisions at the right time. We have time to draw up the definitive list. It is still a complicated situation”.
Contact with Lo Celso after his injury: “The first thing I told him, and everyone else, was that health comes first. We are not going to take any risk that is not ‘normal’, let’s say. Taking an unnecessary risk that could affect a player’s health is something that I will not do. The team comes first, then the individual. We still have time to submit our list. Under normal conditions, we would give the list earlier so that the players know who is going and who isn’t, but now with Gio and uncertainty over other players, we will wait”.
Should the players take more care of themselves to avoid getting injured? “When the players go out on the pitch they don’t think about anything other than winning and that’s fine”.
The fixtures calendar with leagues stopping just one week before the World Cup: “We were due to fly out on Sunday but the players will not arrive until the 13th at the earliest. On the 16th we have a friendly and play our first game on the 22nd - that doesn’t leave us with any margin. It’s not worth changing anything now. The important thing is that the boys are well. I can’t see them arriving earlier and each one will play for their club up until the last minute. I can’t ask them to come any earlier”.
Cuti Romero’s absence in recent games: “We have to be calm, wait for the results of the test, see what injury the player has and then evaluate the situation. We feel safe knowing that those who can play in his position have done well and will respond the same. We are a team and we play as a team, we do not think individually”.
Argentina’s ‘bunker’ in Qatar: “The venue in Qatar is fine. From the photos and videos we’ve seen, it’s just as the AFA wanted. We will be fine - being able to train in peace and making sure the lads are all happy is all we want”.
The public’s expectations: “Hopefully, it will be the best possible but it goes beyond a result. People are behind the team and that’s great. We hope to go with our strongest side - we’re going to do our best, it’s football, it’s a game and it’s important that people understand it. The idea is there and we’ keep trying to deliver our best”.